CHECKMATE - by Bigdan

I used to think relationships were about finding someone who would play your game. Then I realised love is finding someone whose moves you are willing to learn. Because relationships are basically chess. You move. She moves. You think you understand the game. She moves her Knight. And suddenly, you are confused again. The funny thing about the Knight is that it never moves the way you expect. Maybe that is why some women are Knights. You can study the board for three hours and still not understand why she just moved like that. Then there is the Pawn. Small things. “Have you eaten?” “Text me when you get home.” “I miss you.” “Why didn't you call?” Tiny moves. Almost insignificant. Until you realise that those little moves have slowly crossed half the board. Then there is the Rook. Straightforward. No games. No diagonals. No unnecessary mathematics. Just: “I love you.” “I am here.” “I am angry.” “I need you.” The Rook doesn't make you decode anything. Then comes the Bishop. Ah. The Bishop. Always moving diagonally. Never quite saying what it means directly. You ask, “What's wrong?” “Nothing.” You ask again. “I'm fine.” But the Bishop has already moved three squares emotionally. And you are still standing there trying to understand what just happened. Then there is the Queen. The most powerful piece on the board. One move from her can change the entire game. She can bring peace. She can bring chaos. She can make you forget the brilliant strategy you had five minutes ago. And sometimes... She doesn't even know how powerful she is. Then there is the King. The most important piece. And somehow, the most vulnerable. Everything on the board is moving around him. Everybody is fighting. Everybody is sacrificing. Everybody is calculating. But at the end of the day, everybody is really trying to protect the King. Maybe that's what relationships are. Two people moving pieces around a board, pretending they are fighting each other... when what they are really trying to protect is the relationship itself. Sometimes, you sacrifice a piece. Your pride. Your ego. Your need to be right. Sometimes she does the same. Sometimes one person keeps saying “check” because they need reassurance that the other person is still there. Sometimes you reach a stalemate. Nobody wants to leave. Nobody knows how to move. So both of you just sit there... staring at the board. Waiting for the other person to make the next move. And sometimes you get checkmated. Not because you didn't love each other. Not because somebody was a bad person. Sometimes you simply ran out of moves. But maybe the most beautiful thing about chess is this: The person sitting opposite you is not necessarily your enemy. They are your opponent... but they are also the reason there is a game at all. Without them, there is no strategy. No anticipation. No excitement. No “What will she do next?” Just an empty board. So maybe love isn't finding someone who never puts you in check. Maybe love is finding someone who, even when they do... still wants you alive at the end of the game. And maybe... just maybe... the real victory isn't checkmate. It's having someone across the board who keeps choosing to play. <blockquote>So, would you play?</blockquote>

Other insights from Bigdan

Contributor Points

Points-to-Coupons

Referral Earning